Church of Hope

8-18-19 || Passion for the Cross

“But far be it from me to boast [in anything or anyone], except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” - Galatians 6:14

 

“And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.’” – Luke 9:21-22

 

“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23

 

THE CROSS IS A WAY OF LIFE

 

1. Deny Your Self :: The Power Of Surrender “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” - Romans 12:1 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Take Up Your Cross :: The Power Of Love “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” - 1 John 4:10 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Follow Jesus :: The Power Of Life “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” – John 11:25-26 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

08-11-19 || PASSION FOR GOD’S PRESENCE

The Best Summer – Living Life To The Fullest

Scott Young ~ Pastor of Hope

 

LESSONS FROM THE HOME OF MARY AND MARTHA Luke 10:38-42

 

· The Lord Can Be Present … And You Can Miss Him “She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” – Luke 10:39 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…” – Luke 10:40

· When You Miss The Lord’s Presence … You Will Be Worried And Upset “’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things..’”. - Luke 10:41

· God’s Presence Is The “One Thing” That Leads To “All Things” “Only one thing is important. Mary has made the right choice, and it will never be taken away from her.”

– Luke 10:42 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” - Matthew 6:33

 

PURSUING GOD’S PRESENCE

 

1. God’s Presence Is Available “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.” – Psalm 139:7-10 

2. God’s Presence Is Personal “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” – John 16:13-14 

3. God’s Presence Has To Be Pursued “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” - James 4:7-8 

08-04-19 || ONCE UPON A PROSTITUTE

ONCE UPON A PROSTITUTE

Never Give Up

Holly Russo – Pastor at HOPE

 

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

- Hebrews 11:31

 

 

HOW ARE YOU KNOWN

1. Don’t count yourself out

“But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, ‘Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.’”

– Joshua 2:4-5

 

“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.”

– Matthew 1:5-6

 

 

2. Don’t compare and condemn “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”

- Hebrews 11:32-34

 

 

3. Don’t compete for someone else’s calling “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?” – James 2:25

7-28-19 || Breaking Down Walls

BREAKING DOWN WALLS
Never Give Up!
Scott Young ~ Pastor of Hope

WALLS TODAY

W :: Worry
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
- Matthew 6:25
A :: Anger
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave
you.” - Ephesians 4:31
L :: Loneliness
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6
L :: Lies
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” - John 8:44
S :: Skepticism
“And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea” it will happen.’” - Matthew 21:21

HOW TO BREAK DOWN THE WALLS OF LIFE
1. Meet The Lord
“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’” – Joshua 5:13-14

2. See The Walls Coming Down
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.’” - Joshua 6:2

3. Take The Next Step
“March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days… On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.” - Joshua 6:3-4

4. Keep Walking By Faith
“The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, ‘Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!’” - Joshua 6:16

7-21-19 || Faith To Lead

FAITH TO LEAD

Never Give Up

Scott Young ~ Pastor of Hope

(God says) “’So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!’ But Moses said to God, ‘I am not a great man! How can I go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?’” – Exodus 3:10-11

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king. Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” - Hebrews 11:27

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP

1. Leadership Begins At Home “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” - Hebrews 11:23 

2. Leadership Marches To A Different Drum “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” - Hebrews 11:24

3. Leadership Means Seeing The Big Picture “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” – Hebrews 11:25-26 

4. Leadership Prepares People For Change “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.” - Hebrews 11:28 

5. Success Means We – See It – Say It – Seize It “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” - Hebrew 11:29

7-14-19 || Faith is More Than a Dream

FAITH IS MORE THAN A DREAM

Never Give Up

Peter Young ~ Pastor at Hope

“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.” - Hebrews 11:22

Joseph was MORE than a Dreamer

He Lived a Faith-Filled Life

1. As a young person – Faith to Share the Dream “This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers.” - Genesis 37:2 “Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.” - Genesis 37:5

 

“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” - Genesis 37:9

 

2. As a young man – Faith to Live Beyond a Comfort Zone “The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.” - Genesis 39:2-3

“There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” - Genesis 39:9

“Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.” - Genesis 39:20 “The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.” - Genesis 39:23

3. As a mature leader – Faith to Save His Family

Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” – Genesis 41:46,44

And he (Jacob) said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”- Genesis 42:2

“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” - Genesis 45:7

 

4. As an old man – Faith for the Future

 

“And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying (at 110 years); but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”” - Genesis 50:24-25, 26

“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.” - Hebrews 11:22

07-07-19 || Don't Settle For Where You Are

DON’T SETTLE FOR WHERE YOU ARE!

Never Give Up
Scott Young ~ Pastor of Hope

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” - Hebrews 11:8

WHY SOME PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE

 We Fear The Unknown
“How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog—now you see it; soon it is gone.” - James 4:14

 We Fear Loss
We fear we will lose something because of change.
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
- Philippians 3:7-8

 We Fear Failure
“If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great.”
- Proverbs 24:10

MOVING FORWARD IN LIFE

1. Look Towards The Future
“For he (Abraham) was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
- Hebrews 11:10
“We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it.” - Romans 8:24

2. Lay Down The Past
“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
- Genesis 17:5
“By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.” - Hebrews 11:17

3. Live By Faith
“By faith Abraham … obeyed and went … By faith he made his home … By faith Abraham … become a father … By faith Abraham … offered Isaac” - Hebrews 11:8,9,11,17

4. Long For Something Better
“Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
- Hebrews 11:16

6-30-19 || FAITH FOR THE IN BETWEEN

“By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” - Hebrews 11:11

Sarah was promised to be the mother of many nations at age 65/66 but remained childless until 90.

 

FOR THE TIME IN BETWEEN

“Is anything to difficult for the Lord?”

 

1. Consider the source

“By Faith Sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” - Hebrews 11:11

2. Hold onto Faith even when: ______________ “By Faith Sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” - Hebrews 11:11

 

 

3. Hold onto faith in His plan instead of forcing yours Abrahams’ Plan: Genesis 15:2

Sarah’s Plan: Genesis 16:2

God’s Plan: Genesis 15:4, Genesis 17:16

 

4. In the in between don’t lose sight of the big picture

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” - Romans 9:6-8

06.27.19 || KEEP WALKING BY FAITH

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” - Hebrews 11:5 “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” - Genesis 5:24

 

WALKING WITH GOD MEANS

 

1. Taking One Step At A Time

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34 

2. Walking Forward Into New Things

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Quit praying and get the people moving! Forward, march!” - Exodus 14:15 

3. God Is Not Finished With Us

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 1:6 

 

HOW TO WALK WITH GOD ALL THE WAY TO HEAVEN

1. W - We Need To Worship Everyday

“We will praise God every day; we will praise your name forever.” - Psalm 44:8 “The Father is looking for people like that to worship him… God is spirit. Those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” - John 4:23-24

 

2. A - We Need To Hold On To The Attitude Of Christ

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 2:5 v. 4 – Selfless - thinking of others v. 7 – Service – took on the form of a servant v. 8 – Sacrifice - became obedient to death on a cross.

 

3. L - We Need To Stay In The Light

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:7

 

4. K - We Need To Know Our Ultimate Outcome

“I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” - 1 John 5:13

 

6-16-19 || FAITH THAT SAVES A FAMILY

FAITH THAT SAVES A FAMILY

Never Give Up

Scott Young ~ Pastor of Hope

 

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” - Hebrews 11:7

 

1. Faith Listens To God’s Warnings

 

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen…” - Hebrews 11:7

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.” – Matthew 24:37-40

 

 

2. Faith Dares To Be Different

 

“By faith Noah… condemned the world…” - Hebrews 11:7

“…Noah showed that the world was wrong…” - Hebrews 11:7 (NCV)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” - Romans 12:2

 

3. Faith Brings Us Into One Big Happy Family

 

“By faith Noah … became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” - Hebrews 11:7

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” – Romans 8:17

“And now this word to all of you: You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.” - 1 Peter 3:8

 

 

4. Faith Builds An Ark To Save A Family

 

“By faith Noah … built an ark to save his family…” - Hebrews 11:7

 

· We Build With Grace

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” - Acts 20:32

 

· We Build With Love

“…We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” - 1 Corinthians 8:1

 

· We Build With Prayer

“But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” - Jude 20